New Solar Rooftop Panels Are Flexible

Attention commercial building solar enthusiasts: according to Global Solar Energy, you now have the opportunity to take full advantage of that “real estate on your roof” with their large, 300 W lightweight, flexible solar module.

The PowerFLEX BIPV (building integrated photovoltaic) was specially designed for commercial and industrial rooftops, and is said to deliver the highest aperture efficiency in the flexible module industry: 12.6 percent. This large module measures 5.75m x 0.5m (around 18 feet by 1 foot) and puts out 300W of power, enabling it to outperform the current amorphous silicon standard by 50%.

image via Global Power

Designed to address the major concerns of commercial building owners interested in solar, Global Solar’s PowerFLEX BIPV module is lightweight and can be applied directly to a roofing surface, requiring no mounting hardware, no roof penetrations, and creates no additional wind load. It was developed especially to maintain the integrity and aesthetics of a building structure while lowering installation and balance of system (BOS) costs.

“At Global Solar, we recognized that the building industry has not been able to fully optimize the real estate on the rooftop with solar solutions currently available,” said Dr. Jeff Britt, CEO of Global Solar Energy, in a statement. “We worked closely with roofing professionals when we designed the PowerFLEX BIPV, and their experience mattered to us. Leveraging their input, we now offer a high-powered module that will create the most powerful rooftops in the world.”

Susan DeFreitas has covered all manner of green technology for EarthTechling since 2009. She is a graduate of Prescott College for the Liberal Arts and the Environment, and has a background in marketing green businesses. Her work on green living has been featured in Yes! Magazine, the Utne Reader and Natural Home.